


Second Chance

by washurocket



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Sexual Tension, Spoilers, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21887647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/washurocket/pseuds/washurocket
Summary: My theory of what happens after TRoS
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 89





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> TRoS SPOILERS!!
> 
> At the end, we don't see Ben Solo's force ghost, nor does he call out to Rey like the other force ghosts. What if he isn't dead and was given a second chance?

Ben slowly opened his eyes. He knew exactly where he was but had no recollection of how he got here. The fogginess in his head was slowly residing but still ever present. He could remember returning to Exegol, because he knew Rey had found the hidden planet of the Sith. He had to reach her as she didn’t know the fatal dangers that were awaiting her arrival. But why could he remember holding her lifeless body? Did he fail?

He glanced around the room until his eyes met the scratches on the wall. There were hundreds of them desperately etched over and over again into the metal as she clung on to a fleeting hope that her parents would return to her. Every day she had suffered, knowing the truth but too terrified to accept it. Her presence and her pain engulfed him.

More of the fogginess in his head resided as new memories emerged. He gave up the last bit of strength he had to give her life back. He could still feel her hand’s gently squeeze as she returned, the comforting relief of her eyes and her smile as she called out his name, and her hand gently touching his cheek as she pressed her lips firmly against his.

Then everything went black.

He knew he should have been dead, but he wasn’t. Why? How?

“You’re finally awake,” said a familiar voice behind him. He spun around to see the ghost of his uncle standing a few feet away. “Hey there, kid.”

“What’s going on? Why am I here? Why am I… _am_ I ali…” Luke held up a ghostly hand and Ben fell silent.

“I know you have a lot of questions, which is why I am here. I told you that if you struck me down, I’d be with you forever.”

“But I didn’t strike you down.”

“Not directly, but I did exhaust all of my powers to reach to you, which I knew would be my demise.”

“So you knew I would try to kill you.”

Luke shrugged. “I had a feeling.” Ben looked away and stared blankly at the floor in front of him. His uncle still had no faith. What was the point then?

“I should have died. After all that I’ve done, and after Rey…” His voice trailed off. He couldn’t say the words out loud. He didn’t deserve any of Rey’s compassion, especially _that_.

“Kissed you?” Ben returned his gaze to his uncle in surprise. “Yeah, I know. And you did die.”

“Then I am dead.”

“No. Instead of becoming a force ghost, the jedi of the past gave you a second chance at life. Something I would have wished for my father, but that’s neither here nor now.”

“Why would they do that? They must have known all of the terrible things I have done.” Luke raised up his hand again.

“Yes, we know. But we also know that your power hasn’t changed, it is as strong as ever. However, now that you have returned back to the light, it can be channeled. Use this opportunity to right your wrongs, to save lives instead of destroy them.”

“And Rey?”

“Of all the places in the galaxy, why do you think you are here, specifically?” Luke gave a little smile. “I’m not going to lie, you have a difficult journey ahead of you. Take this second chance. I know you can do good.”

“You believe that I can be good?”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. See you around, kid.”

As soon as Luke’s ghost disappeared, a vertically challenged woman stepped into view, her arms crossed and a scowl plastered on her face.

“You’re awake. Good. Now we can finally get paid and get out of this wasteland.”

“Who are you?”

“None of your concern. Just consider me one of your saviors. You would have been dead if we didn’t come across your naked body in the desert.” Ben looked down and realized his black attire had been replaced by an unpleasant old tan robe. Not at all his style, but it was better than nothing. Awkward…

“Why did you save me? I can’t pay you, I have nothing.”

The woman gave a menacing grin. “Ah, but you do. As soon as you are better, you can work as a scavenger for Unkar Plutt. He lost his best scavenger a couple of years ago and hasn’t been able to find a suitable replacement. We were lucky to find you. He promised me and my crew a nice amount of credits, but only if you didn’t die. A dead man isn’t worth anything, at least, not in your case.”

“And if I choose not to?”

The woman shrugged. “Then you’ll die. There are no ships, no towns nearby. Unkar pays in rations, so if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s that simple. We get paid no matter what, so it doesn’t matter to me what you do.”

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Should I care?“ She laughed. “I don’t know where you came from, but good luck on your new life, not that it concerns me anymore.” She gave a little backwards wave as she left.

Ben laid back down on the bed as he took everything in. The woman didn’t recognize him. This would be extremely helpful. With this second chance, he had to take a new path than the dark one he had been on before. For starters, that meant repaying his debt for still being alive and given this opportunity to begin with, even if his saviors were scum. He certainly wasn’t going to stay on Jakku forever. Kylo Ren destroyed so many lives, and even though the debt would be impossible to fulfill in his life time, he had to try to do everything he could to prove to the Jedi of the past, Rey, and himself that he was a different person. He was Ben Solo.

He had to reach Rey.


	2. The Calling

Rey awoke with a start. Since defeating the Sith, she would have thought her mind could finally rest easily. Instead, her dreams had been plagued of her encounters with Kylo Ren and alternate timelines where the Sith had won. She was constantly exhausted and didn’t know how to make the nightmares stop. This time, though, instead of awaking in a nervous sweat and being filled with dread, and nausea from the smell of Finn and Rose’s attempts at cooking, she felt comfort and an overwhelming sense of relief. _He was alive_.

Her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, she jumped down from her cot and followed the pungent odor of what she assumed to be some type of eggs.

“Good morning, Master Rey!” C3PO greeted her as she sat down in one of the lounge seats. “Master Finn and Master Rose are almost done with cooking breakfast. I don’t think it’s going well, from the sounds of it.”

“I can tell by the smell.”

“I can’t smell.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” she muttered to herself. She loved her friends dearly, but just the smell of their cooking could kill a wampa.

“Oh you’re up. I thought I heard something,” said Rose, as she came into the room with plates and forks. “We’re almost done with breakfast. We found a bunch of abandoned Porg eggs so thought we’d try something simple and make scrambled eggs.”

“How old were the eggs?”

“Not sure. R2 had a recipe for them, but we had to improvise.”

“Done!” said Finn as he came into the room with R2D2 beeping behind him. He placed a plate heaping with greenish looking eggs onto the table. “Hopefully they taste better than they look.”

“Hopefully…” Rey put a spoonful of the eggs on her plate. She took a fork and put the jiggling blobs into her mouth. Oh yes, they tasted bad, worse than she thought. But they were still edible. She couldn’t complain as she knew they were lucky to have the food that they did. After the fall of the First and Final Orders, most members of the Resistance returned to their families on their home planets. Those that had nowhere to go stayed behind at the Resistance’s last base, trying to survive and figure out what to do next. Poe and BB8 were constantly on the go, as they took odd jobs and used their hard earned credits to purchase food and other supplies. Rey was aching to go on another adventure, hoping it would clear her mind from the nightmares, but everyone else was insistent that she stayed on the Millennium Falcon as much as she could until she had fully recovered. She knew she needed it, but it was driving her crazy at the same time.

“Yup, these are terrible,” said Rose, wrinkling her nose.

“Rey, you’re smiling,” said Finn, as he dug into his eggs. “Did you actually sleep well?”

“No, the nightmares haven’t gotten any better, but…” Finn slammed down his fork.

“Why is it that the First Order is gone, and yet they’re still here, torturing us?”

“Well, the thing is, I…”

“It’s going to take awhile to move on, we’ve talked about this,” Rose said calmly, as she gently put a hand onto Finn’s. “We have to be supportive for Rey,” she whispered.

“But there’s some good…”

“Master Rey did an excellent job defeating the Sith. It’s a shame that she can’t get some descent rest,” said C3PO.

“It’s all Kylo Ren’s fault.” Finn clenched his fists as Rose backed away. “What he did to her, getting in her head like that. I’m glad he’s dead.”

“I’m right here!” Rey shouted as she stood up from the table. “This is _my_ problem, not yours.” She slammed down her fork. “I’m not hungry.” Storming out of the room, she returned to her triple bunk room, the metal door clanking shut behind her. Everyone had been dealing with the aftermath of the Final Order in their own way. She knew that they didn’t mean it, but it was impossible for them to understand what she went through. It was more than just Kylo Ren breaking into her mind. The force had a forged a connection between them, no matter the distance, and it was terrifying never knowing when he would reach out to her. On top of that, her grandfather wasn’t just on the dark side, he WAS the dark side. And she would have taken his place if Ben hadn’t been nearby…

She flopped onto her cot and buried her face on the pillow taking in slow, deep breaths.

Then everything went silent.

Rey slowly lifted her head to see to see a translucent version of Ben on the other side of the room. She blinked her eyes to verify she wasn’t seeing things. Deep down inside, she knew when his body disappeared on Exegol he wasn’t really dead. His presence still lingered, faint but apparent. As time had passed, she couldn’t sense him anymore and had figured her imagination had been clinging on to false hope. That was until this morning.

“Ben?” The tears began welling up in her eyes as he nodded. “You’re alive?”

“Yes.” She took her hand and gently brushed the tears off of her cheek. The relief and joy she had felt that morning had been confirmed. She got off of her cot and slowly walked towards him. Raising her right hand she reached for his, but they passed through each other.

“I’m still recovering. I can’t do this for long, but I wanted to see you.”

“Where are you?”

“Jakku. I’m working for Unkar Plutt.”

“Unker Plutt.” Rey repeated. Her heart was thudding rapidly beneath her chest as she could feel the excitement and nervousness take over her body. “I’ll come for you.”

“Rey?” The door opened and Rose came in. “Are you ok? Who were you talking to?” Rey turned away from the empty spot where Ben had been and looked up at Rose. The tears were in full force now as they flooded her cheeks. She didn’t care if Rose saw her.

“An old friend that I thought was dead.” She paused, grasping as what had just happened. “He’s alive!”


	3. Scavenger

The sun had only barely risen over Jakku’s hot sands as Ben made his way to Niima Outpost. He had gotten little sleep during the night as his mind refused to shut down and stay focused, persistently jumping from one thought to another. _He was alive. He was going to start his life from scratch as a scavenger. His connection with the force was weaker than he had ever remembered, but he was still able to reach Rey. And she was coming for him. Rey..._

Though her figure was blurry, she seemed happy and relieved to know he was alive. She wouldn’t be coming for him if she wasn’t… would she? Her reaction when she’d see him in person was the thought that tormented him the most. Who would she see, Kylo Ren or Ben Solo?

There were a few early risers cleaning off their treasures from previous scavenging adventures. Unkar Plutt was rolling up the canvass covers to his booth when Ben approached him.

“You’re early,” he grumbled without turning around.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Unkar grunted. “Doesn’t surprise me. Give me a moment.” He went to the back of the booth and Ben could hear him shuffling around. He emerged with an old rusty shovel. “You’re going to Tuanul Village.” He roughly handed been the shovel. “It’s been scavenged before since Kylo Ren and the First Order destroyed it, but there are still plenty of valuables that have been covered by the sand storms. Find what you can and bring it back here. You can use the speeder over there.” He pointed to a red clunky looking speeder just outside of the outpost’s canopy. It was one-of-a-kind, built using scrap parts. Ben could immediately sense Rey’s presence and knew it had been hers. “There’s enough fuel to get there and back, so I don’t recommend wandering off or taking any short cuts.”

“How long will it take to get there?”

“About an hour there and an hour back. You’ll get reimbursed in rations depending on the value of what you bring back.” Ben gave a small nod as he turned towards the speeder. He couldn’t help thinking to himself that this was grunt work, far beneath someone like him. He was only just recently a Supreme Leader! Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that it was Kylo Ren who was the Supreme Leader, not Ben. This was something he had to start anew. Plus it would give him the opportunity to experience a taste of Rey’s past life.

Ben got on the speeder and took off towards the remains of Tuanul Village.


	4. It's a Force Thing

"How do you know your friend's alive? Is this a force thing?" Rose asked excitedly, as she followed Rey out of the room.

"Yes, it's a force thing. Finn?"

Finn popped out from the Storage Bay. "What is it, Rey?"

"I'm going to borrow a ship. I need to go to Jakku."

"Jakku?"

"I shouldn't be gone long. I just need to find a friend." Rey had feared how Finn would react if he knew the whole truth of her force connection with Kylo Ren, so she had kept it to herself. She knew he'd eventually find out Ben was alive but wanted to push the inevitable truth back as far as possible.

"What friend?" Finn asked, suspiciously. "If it's your parents…"

"I know my parents are dead, so it's not them." Another fact she had conveniently left out was her relationship with Palpatine. That was one she'd take to her grave. "Like I said, it's an old friend. Once I find him, I'll return the ship. We'll figure out what to do from there, but we will likely leave the Resistance, so you won't have to worry about him."

"Leave the Resistance? Rey, I don't understand where this is coming from. Who is this person?" Finn was predictably annoyed and frustrated, and Rey couldn't blame him.

"I don't think you'd get along, that's all."

"We are in this together, Rey. All of us. You, Rose, Poe, and me. I know you've been keeping secrets from us for awhile, even before the fall of the Final Order. Why, Rey? We can't help you if you aren't being honest with us."

Rey frowned. "Because some of the things I've witnessed, that I've gone through… it's just, saying them out loud makes them more real. I'm worried how you'd handle it, or if you'd be able to look at me the same again. There's just so much, Finn… you'll find out soon, but for now I need you to trust me."

Finn let out an exasperated sigh. "I know you've been through a lot, and I want to believe in you, Rey, I really do. But if you can't trust me handling the truth, I can't trust you taking one of our few ships and returning it for this secret friend of yours. We're supposed to be a team."

"I'll go with her."

"Rose?"

"It'd give Rey and I some time to get to know each other better, now that we're not fighting for the Resistance. Plus, I want to meet Rey's mysterious stranger." Rey always had an inkling that Rose was slightly jealous over her relationship with Finn. Perhaps this journey would confirm to her that Rey and Finn were just friends. On top of that, she was dreadfully nervous on seeing Ben again and how she'd react. It'd be nice if there was a friend by her side.

"Fine," said Finn, folding his arms. "But take this thing with you, too." He nodded towards C-3PO.

"Excuse me?" piped the droid.

"Mostly because he gets on my nerves," Finn muttered to Rose.

"I heard that."

"Thanks, Finn." Rey gave him a hug, and Finn reluctantly returned the gesture.

"Keep her safe," he said, pointing towards Rose. "And you be safe, too."

"We will be. We shouldn't be gone too long. Come on, C-3PO."

"Oh dear. Another adventure where I will probably be turned into scrap metal."

Rose and Rey rolled their eyes and giggled as they made their way off the Falcon, with C-3PO trailing behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be longer ;)


	5. Reunion

Ben parked the speeder just outside of the outpost. The trip to Tuanul Village had been harder than he had imagined. The few treasures he was able to recover wouldn’t have been available if he hadn’t asked for the execution of their owners. The pang of guilt he felt combined with the exhaustion of using the force to dig through the sands and the heat intensifying throughout the day had worn him out.

He took his bag and plopped it in front of Unkar Plutt.

“Let’s see what you have,” Unkar grumbled. He opened the sack and extracted the items, observing each one briefly before setting it aside.

“Hmm… I would say this is equivalent to a quarter portion.” He pulled out a container of dehydrated food from underneath the booth and pushed it towards Ben.

Though he felt guilty, he was hoping for at least a full portion. He hadn’t eaten all day and was starting to feel delirious. _Is this what Rey had to deal with every day_? He took a deep breath. “I believe the ring there is made from Serranite. I know it has a high price on the black market.”

“You still owe me for the expenses regarding your recovery. A quarter portion is all you get. If you can prove your worth, your compensation will improve.”

Ben nodded and took the food. It was his penance and he had to accept it. Putting himself in Rey’s shoes for that brief moment was an eye-opener on how lucky his whole life had been, even before he joined the dark side.

As he made his way back towards Rey’s old residence, he saw a ship that had recently landed in the sands nearby. The hatch to the ship opened, and a woman he did not recognize stepped off. She was talking to someone behind her. He knew it was Rey before she even stepped off the ship. He suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore. The girls were chatting, though he couldn’t make out anything they were saying. Then Rey turned and her eyes met with his. He froze, unsure of what to do. A smile instinctively transpired on his face just at the sight of her.

Her face mirrored his.

“Ben!”

He could feel his heart beating rapidly as she ran towards him. His legs unfroze as he took a few steps towards her. She didn’t hesitate at all as she embraced him, wrapping her arms tightly around his back. “Ben!”

He returned the gesture, holding her closely. The emotions of joy and relief engulfed him. She was here, physically here. Rey! Rey... He had never felt human compassion like this before. He didn’t want to let her go, afraid that he would lose her again. Judging by her grip and the tears falling onto the back of his neck, he guessed she felt the same.

“Rey!” interrupted a loud voice. She released him from her grasp as Unkar Plutt loomed over them, looking as surly as ever.

“You owe me a ship.”

“That ship wasn’t yours to begin with. It was stollen.”

“I won it fair and square. I want it back.”

“It belongs to the Resistance now.”

“Have you not heard? The war is over. The First Order has fallen. The Resistance is no more. I want my ship!”

“I know you’ve under-compensated me for years. I brought you many valuable items, but you kept my portions low to force me to keep scavenging. How many credits did you profit from my work? I would say the Millennium Falcon makes us even.” Unkar grunted as he looked at Ben.

“Then he’ll take your place. His debt has not been paid.”

“He’s coming with me.”

“The ship or the boy. You can’t have both.”

“Actually, I can.” Rey shifted and brushed her hand slightly over her lightsaber so Unkar could see it. Curiously, her lightsaber was not his grandfather’s, but one of her own.

“I’ve invested a lot of money in him.”

“And how much have you made over the years on my scavenging? I know my parents asked you to keep me safe. I don’t think this is what they meant.”

Unkar looked like he was about to argue, but when he looked at Ben again, his eyes got wide.

“What is your name again?” he asked.

“Ben.”

“Ben,” Unkar repeated. Ben could tell he was starting to piece things together. “You know the owner of this ship.”

Ben nodded, “Yes, I do.”

“And he was killed at the hands of his son.” Rey twitched as she moved slightly away from him. Ben could feel his heart sink.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…” Unkar scratched his chin as he turned to Rey. “Fine. You can keep the ship and the boy, but on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“That you never return to Jakku.”


	6. A Favor

“That goes for both of you,” Unkar added.

“You have our word,” said Rey. She assumed after seeing her lightsaber, Unkar must have also pieced together the true identity of his new scavenger and didn’t want to mess with either of them. Rose was watching the scene from afar by the ship.

“I need to get something before we go,” said Rey, as she went inside the broken-down AT-AT.

It was surreal returning to her old domicile. It felt like she had never left, never rescued BB-8, never got involved with the Resistance, never became a primary target of the First Order, never discovered her connection with the force. She was simply Rey, a scavenger trying to get by day by day, waiting for her parents to return.

She brushed her hands against the scratches on the wall. It made her feel like a silly child, desperate for a false hope when she knew the truth. They were never coming back.

Sitting on a shelf was the item she had wanted to retrieve, a hand-stitched rebel doll her mother had given her when she was very little. It was her last connection to her parents. She retrieved the treasure and tucked it into her pocket.

Ben and Rose were outside by the ship standing next to each other, shifting uncomfortably.

“I’m ready,” said Rey, as she joined her friends who both looked relieved to see her.

“Did you get what you were looking for?” Ben asked.

“Yes. It was a doll my mom made me. Did you guys, um, meet?”

“Sort of. We just said ‘hi’ and that was about it,” said Rose.

“Ok then. Ben, this is Rose. Rose, Ben.”

“Hi.”

“Hi, again.”

“Master Rey, have you returned?” C-3PO emerged from the ship. “I stayed on the ship as you asked. Are we ready to go?” He paused. “Master Ben? Oh thank the maker, you’re alive!” He picked up his pace as he made his way towards Ben. “Your parents have been worried sick about you. Oh, but your parents…”

“I know,” said Ben.

“I’m sorry, Master Ben, but there wasn’t much I could do, I’m afraid.”

An awkward silence befell on them.

“Did I say something?”

“Excuse me, might I ask a favor?” interrupted an older lady. Rey recognized her as another scavenger that she occasionally saw at the Outpost. “I would really like a ride to Correscent. I don’t have much to offer, except for these portions I’ve saved up.” She held up her few possessions.

“We can give you a ride,” said Rey.

“Oh, thank you!” the old lady beamed. “I can’t scavenge like I could in my younger days, and I just wanted to see my son before my life expires.”

“Is your son on Correscent?” Rose asked.

“Probably not, but there’s a corporation on Correscent that helps reunite people with their families after being separated. I wanted my son to have a better life than what I could give him, so I gave him up when he was very little. I know the chances of them helping me are slim, but my chances are zero if I stay here on Jakku.”

“I’ve heard of such a place,” said C-3PO. “But the chances of reuniting you with your son is 364,452 to 1.”

“Like I said, it’s better than 0.”

“We should probably get going. I don’t think Unkar Plutt is too pleased that he’s losing another scavenger.” Ben was right, Unkar didn’t look pleased. At the same time, Rey couldn’t recall a moment where she ever saw him happy.

Rey and Rose sprinted up the hatch and into the ship. Ben assisted their new guest on board while C-3PO trailed behind, muttering to himself. Rey got into the cockpit and fired up the engines while Rose put the coordinates in for Correscent.

“We should have enough fuel to get to Correscent and back to Ajan Kloss,” said Rose.

“I hope you don’t mind the detour. I couldn’t just leave her there.”

“Not at all,” Rose smiled.

“C-3PO is with the woman,” said Ben, as he joined Rey and Rose in the cockpit.

“Good, then we can take off.” With a loud roar, the ship rose into the air and took off, leaving Jakuu and Rey’s old life far behind.


	7. To Coruscant

Once they were out of hyperdrive and in route to Coruscant, Rey put the ship into autopilot.

“There. We should be set until we reach Coruscant.”

“I’m going to message Finn and let him know we’ll be delayed,” said Rose, as she left the cockpit. Finally, he was alone again with Rey. But he couldn’t cherish the moment as he slumped in his seat, exhaustion and hunger finally taking its toll. Rey got up and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

“Have you eaten anything?”

“No. Just have… whatever this is.” Ben held up the portion of dehydrated food Unkar had given him.

“We brought some food. It’s better, though not by much.” As Rey was leaving the cockpit Ben reached out and grabbed her arm.

“I’m glad you came, Rey.”

Rey smiled. “Of course. I’ll be right back.” He heard Rey run into something and mutter ‘ow’ as she left the room. He wondered if she told anyone about him, or if this was going to be an awkward surprise. Rose was uncomfortable around him, but it seemed to be more out of shyness than fear. As for Finn and the others, he knew they were relieved he was gone, and now they were going to find out he really wasn’t. He could handle himself, but he wasn’t sure what Rey was planning to do.

Rey came back with a couple of pieces of fruit and a small brown sack.

“Fruit and nuts from Ajan Kloss. Eat. You’ll feel better.” He took one of the pieces of fruit and bit into its soft flesh. It wasn’t one of the best tasting fruits he’d ever had, but the sweetness and moistness helped quench his thirst and hunger. He could feel the fog lifting from his head. After finishing the first piece of fruit he took a bite out of the second, recomposing himself.

“You had to do that every day.”

“Yes. I always start early to beat the heat,” said Rey, as she took a seat across from him. “Honestly, it doesn’t get much better. You just learn how to make the best of it.”

Ben felt flooded with a new wave of guilt. How many times did he attempt to bring her down after all she had already been through? He admired her strength. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she kept going. She kept fighting. Even with all of the pain and suffering he had put her through, she didn’t give up. She was still by his side, willing to give him another chance. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to.

And yet, he could still sense fear within her. Being strong didn’t mean not being afraid.

“Rey… you haven’t told anyone about me, have you?”

Rey blushed as she shook her head. “I wasn’t sure how…”

“Grrr, he makes me so mad sometimes!” said Rose as she came into the room. Her eyes darted between Rey and Ben. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No, you’re fine, Rose,” said Rey, giving a sigh of relief. “I’m guessing things didn’t go well with Finn?”

“No. He’s just worried we’re going to get sidetracked and not come back, or something silly like that. I wish he’d trust me more.”

“I think he does trust you. It’s me he doesn’t trust,” said Rey. “I haven’t really been forthcoming with him, and he’s noticed.”

“I’ve noticed, too. But like Finn said, we’re a team, and we got to be honest with one another.” She looked up at Ben. “Starting off, I don’t know anything about you. How did you two meet?”

“It’s a long story,” said Rey.

“In the woods,” said Ben, simultaneously.

“In the woods?” Rose looked at him suspiciously.

“We met on Takodana,” said Rey. “When the First Order was attacking Maz Kanata's castle, I ran into the woods with BB-8. I told BB-8 to hide, and we separated. Then I ran into Ben.”

Rose turned to Ben. “So you used to be with the First Order?”

“Yes.”

“But you left?”

“Yes.”

“Then you knew Finn…”

Ben shrugged. “Sort of.”

“You two didn’t along?”

“No, we didn’t.”

Rose’s eyes lit up. “Oooh! That explains why you were nervous about telling Finn!” Rose paused as she started piecing the puzzle together. “But then how did you know C-3PO?”

“Long story,” said Rey.

“Rey…”

“Look, we’re almost at Coruscant!” Rey got up and ran to the pilot seat. Rose rolled her eyes and followed her.

Ben had been to Coruscant many times as a kid. Luke would take him site seeing, educating him about the original home of the Jedi Order before it was destroyed after the Clone Wars. Their trips to Coruscant were some of his fondest memories.

The planet was bustling with life just like it had for many millennia. It took a while for them to find an open port to park their ship.

“I’ve never seen a city like this,” said Rey in awe, as they landed the ship. “I’d love to look around, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“This used to be the headquarters of the Jedi Order. Young Padawans would train here during the times of the Galactic Republic,” said Ben.

“Jedi used to train here?” Ben was surprised to hear the excitement in her voice. “I’ve been reading the sacred Jedi text and trying to train on my own. My dream is to eventually become good enough to train new Jedi so we can continue to bring peace to the galaxy. Coruscant would be a great place to start!” Ben smiled. She looked so cute when she got excited.

“I got the landing gear down,” said Rose. “Let’s go help your friend.”

They three of them left the cockpit and joined the old woman and C-3PO.

“I can’t believe I’m finally here,” the woman said. “I never thought this day would come. Thank you all so much!” She tried to give her food portions to Rey, but Rey pushed them back.

“You keep it. You need it more than us.”

“But I got to pay…”

“You’re fine,” said Rose. “We’re just happy to help.”

Ben took his portion and handed it to her. “You can take mine, too.”

“I can’t…”

“I insist, please take it.” The woman smiled, the tears glistening in her eyes.

“Thank you. Thank you, so very much!”

“Do you want us to assist you to your destination?” Rey asked, as the woman made her way off the ship.

“No, you’ve done more than enough. Thank you again!” They waited until the woman was safely off of the ship before closing the hatch. Ben had to admit, it felt good doing something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. He hoped he would never forget that woman’s smile of gratitude.


	8. For Han

The ride back to Ajan Kloss consisted of uncomfortable silence; even C-3PO didn’t have much to say. The closer they got to their destination, the more Rey felt guilty about the secrets she had been hiding from her friends, especially with Finn. She also suspected Rose had pieced together the true identity of their new companion. ‘Ben’ wasn’t exactly a common name. Meanwhile, Ben seemed to be lost in thought and didn’t say much.

As soon as they landed, Rose bolted out of the cockpit. Rey stood up and took a deep breath.

“Let me talk to Finn first,” she said, as she followed behind Rose.

When she got off the ship, the two were clinging to each other.

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, Rose.”

“It’s ok.”

“Um, Finn? Can I talk to you for a second?” Rose pulled away but kept herself close to Finn’s side.

“I’m listening.”

“You see, one thing I didn’t tell you… well, one of many… but I… when the Jedi came to me and helped me defeat the Sith on Exegol… I died.”

“You died? Rey, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Ben used the force to give me life. He’s the reason I’m still alive.”

“Uh huh… right. And by Ben, you don’t mean…”

“Hello, Master Finn! We have safely returned! And look who we found? Master Ben!” Finn’s eyes locked onto Ben, and his mouth dropped.

“Rey… what is going on?”

“Ben’s still alive, but he’s on our side now.”

“What? No… How?”

“Rey, is that Ben… Solo?” asked Rose.

“Yes.” Ben replied. Rose grabbed Finn’s hand and squeezed it hard causing Finn to flinch.

“Oh good, you’re back. I need to talk to you about another… woah!” Poe and BB8 had now joined the scene. Poe’s facial expressions were an exact replica of Finn’s.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Finn. Please, I wanted to, but I didn’t know how you’d react…”

Finn held up his hand and Rey stopped. “You… you’re going to tell us everything, Rey. Everything! Right now!”

Then fur met skin and Ben was lying in the ground, his face covered in blood.

“Ben!” Rey shrieked as she bent down beside him while Chewbacca hoovered over them giving out a massive roar.

“Chewbacca, what has gotten into you?” said C-3PO, as Rose took off. “That’s Master Ben! And what do you mean by ‘for Han?” Chewbacca give a quieter, sad roar before joining Poe and Finn. Rose returned with a wet cloth which she handed to Rey.

“Thanks.” Rose didn’t reply and returned with the others.

“I can’t do this,” said Finn. As he walked away, Rey felt overwhelmed with remorse. The others looked at her with disappointment and distrust in their eyes before accompanying him.

“I really messed up,” said Rey, as she healed Ben’s wounds. “I should have been more honest with them.”

“This is pretty much what I was expecting.” Ben pushed himself up and took the cloth from Rey, wiping the blood off his face. “Kylo Ren might be dead, but he was still me. I can’t change that. Even you’re still afraid.”

“What? I’m not afraid.”

“You flinched back at Jakku when Unkar Plutt mentioned my dad.” Rey flinched. “There, you did it again.”

“I’m sorry, Ben.” Rey turned, her eyes meeting his. “When I look into your eyes, I don’t see Kylo Ren, I see Ben.”

“But…”

“But I still have nightmares about Kylo Ren and Palpatine and what my life would be like if I did join the dark side. It’s actually gotten worse since defeating the Sith, and I don’t know why and I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Ben took Rey’s hand. She immediately felt the heat rush into her face as her heart started thumping wildly.

“I’ve done so many terrible things as Kylo Ren. I will never be able to repay my debt for the lives I’ve destroyed. However, I will do anything I can to make you happy, and to make those nightmares go away.”

“Ben.” Rey smiled as she moved her face close to his and he did the same. Their lips barely brushed against each other when a shout interrupted them.

“Rey!” Poe came marching towards them. “We want you to talk to you. JUST you,” he said, giving an infuriated glance towards Ben.

“That’s only fair,” said Rey, as she got to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”

“Stay there, and don’t do anything,” Poe snapped at Ben, as he followed behind Rey.

As they headed towards the others, Rey saw Maz Kanata out of the corner of her eye making her way towards Ben. She looked at Rey, a sad smile on her face. The smile, however, did not look like one of disappointment, but one of hope, as if to remind Rey that everything would be all right. One day.


	9. Aunt Maz

Ben watched as Maz Kanata approached him. He had known the old pirate his entire life but hadn’t encountered her since joining the dark side. His dad was an old friend of hers, so he didn’t expect this conversation to go well.

“You destroyed my castle.”

Not the first words he thought she’d say. Maz proceeded to whack him on the head. Ben was quickly reminded that her size should never be disregarded for her strength.

“Ow!” She whacked him a couple of more times. Ben put his hands over his head, but it did nothing to lessen the pain. She raised her arm to strike again but stopped midway through.

“Ben,” she sighed, letting her hand fall to her side. “You have no idea how much your parents loved you, do you?”

“My mom, yes,” said Ben as Maz sat down next to him.

“Your dad loved you, too.”

“Too often it didn’t feel like it.”

“Believe me, he did. He saw how close you were to your uncle and how much you idolized him, so he backed away. Typical Han. It hurt him more than you’d realize, but he wasn’t one to show his emotions. Ben, he wasn’t avoiding you because he didn’t love you, but because he did love you.”

Even though Ben knew this was true, it didn’t make hearing her words hurt any less.

“And then Luke tried to kill me,” he said, attempting to change the topic off of his father.

“Yes, and combing that with the anger you had towards your father, the Dark Side seized you, and you left us.”

“I…” Ben started, but he didn’t know what to say next. Apologizing wasn’t going to change the horrific things he had done in the past.

“Still…” Maz continued. “Even if you left us, you did come back. That was a difficult feat to overcome.”

“Yes, but.. is it too late?”

Maz smiled, “It’s never too late. Your future isn’t going to be easy, but you have it. Learn from your mistakes, Ben, and make things better.” They looked up and from a distance Ben could see Rey hugging Finn tightly. As if reading his mind, Maz continued, “Rey and Finn have a special relationship. They were there for each other during a time when they were both alone and scared with no one else to turn to. I believe they will always be close. Just remember, Ben, she only has eyes for you. Never take her for granted.” Ben and Maz stood up as Poe, Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, and Rey came towards them.

“I finally told them everything,” Rey smiled, as the little sunlight that was able to break through the wild landscape reflected the shimmering tears on her face.

“You can stay with us,” said Poe. “But to be clear, that does NOT mean we trust you. Rey has agreed to be responsible for any of your actions. If you do anything to hurt her, or any us, we won’t be afraid to fight.”

Chewbacca gave a roar of agreement.

“To elaborate on what Poe said, we trust Rey, even if she hasn’t been as forthcoming as we would have liked.” Finn turned to Rey and smiled. “At least we understand why now.”

“Thank you,” said Rey. “It feels so good to get everything out in the open.”

“Well, now that we’re done with that, I found another mission for us,” said Poe.

“That’s good, we have something we’d like to discuss as well,” said Finn, whose hand was being held tightly by Rose. Poe, Finn, Rose, and Chewbacca headed back to their main base. Maz gave a little wink towards Rey as she followed them, leaving Ben and Rey alone once more.

“They were a lot more understanding than I thought they would be,” said Rey. “I promise, Ben,” she took Ben’s hands, “we’ll get through this. Together.”

Ben smiled. He did not deserve her kindness or compassion, and yet here she was. He released one of his hands and brushed the tears off her cheek. She gave a little gasp and he could feel the warmth rapidly rise to her face. He had been wanting to do this since her first regained consciousness, and now his chance has finally come. He pushed his lips against hers and she welcomed them. He had always felt a strong connection between them, even before Snoke interfered. He didn’t quite understand it until he saw Rey’s lifeless body. Just thinking about it made him hold her closer. He lost her once, and he never wanted to lose her again.

After they pulled apart, all Ben could hear was them struggling to catch their breaths.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I knew you were alive,” said Rey, as soon as she was able to find her voice again.

“Me too.”

They held each other tightly. Yes, it was a long windy road ahead of him, filled with foreseen and unforeseen obstacles. But at least he wouldn’t be on this road alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 😊  
> I'm ending it here, so I hope you enjoyed it!


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